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Cosmetics firm ordered to stop claiming it offers beauty without cruelty
A cosmetics and spa company that claims its products are not tested on animals has been ordered to stop doing so.
Africology‚ launched in her Johannesburg kitchen in 2000 by Renchia Droganis‚ was the subject of a complaint to the advertising watchdog by Beauty Without Cruelty South Africa.
The Advertising Standards Authority ordered the company‚ which operates seven high-end spas around the country‚ to withdraw the advertising because it did not provide proof of its claims.
The activist group’s chairman‚ Toni Brockhoven‚ complained to the ASA about notices on Africology’s windows at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.
Ironically‚ the ads took issue with Beauty Without Cruelty’s endorsement of rival products and spas.
Alongside the organisation’s rabbit logo‚ Africology said: “We don’t use this logo to validate our anti-animal testing policy. This logo is commonly placed on products that contain ingredients that were tested on animals. #NoToAnimalTesting.”
In her complaint‚ Brockhoven said: “This is blatant false advertising. Africology‚ despite their claims‚ is in fact using ingredients which have animal tested at some point‚ which we can prove.”
She said the company’s products contained lavender‚ titanium dioxide‚ beeswax and xantham gum‚ “all of which were only approved for use once animal testing had been conducted to prove safety for human consumption”.
Africology told the ASA directorate that its competitors were benefiting unfairly by using the Beauty Without Cruelty logo‚ which deceived customers.
On its website‚ the company says: “Africology strongly disagrees with the practice of animal testing‚ so much so that all of our dermatological testing is performed upon human test subjects with prior consent.”
But the authority said the onus was on Africology to prove that ingredients in its products had not been tested on animals‚ and it had failed to do so. “(It) ought to have an independent expert verify that its advertising claims are valid and supported by evidence. It has not‚ however‚ done so‚” said the finding.


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A local woman had a good idea... buy wholesale and sell retail on ebay. Except she "bought" wholesale from Chinese companies online who ripped her off. She sent a Money gram... they sent empty boxes. No iPhones, no Playstations. The BBB says use a credit card - if the company doesn't want to go that route, that should be a big red flag.
At least with a credit card you have some recourse. That woman is now $1,700.00 poorer, but wiser.
Here are the sites. The BBB says these are the scammers.

domain: news


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The World Bank has positioned the United Arab Emirates as the best performing tradelogistics service provider in the Gulf region and is a world-class global logistics hub. The logistics industry is expected to grow 4.8% between 2017 and 2021.
The United Arab Emirates two leading airports (Dubai and Abu Dhabi International Airports) have been investing in improving and expanding their facilities consistently in the past years and it is expected that they will continue to invest to sustain the expected freight growth.
Dubai has also recently opened a third cargo and passenger airport, the Al Maktoum international Airport (Dubai World Central) at Dubai South with new exciting business opportunities for logistic companies. When completed the airport will become the world’s largest airport with a capacity of more than 160 million passengers and 12 million tons of cargo per annum. The airport forms the heart of a greater project, a 140 square kilometer multiphase development of six clustered zones that includes the Dubai Logistics City (DLC), Commercial City, Residential City, Aviation City and the Golf City.
Jebel Ali Port, managed by DP World, is investing $1.6 billion to increase the port’s total capacity to 22.1 million containers. Similarly, Abu Dhabi Ports Company plans to expand Khalifa Port by 100 square kilometres by mid-2018 to accommodate more industries and keep up with growth in the sector.
Our cooperation with global logistics clients has shaped our team of legal experts whom has developed the industry knowledge required to provide seamless assistance and support to their operations in the Middle East. The ever changing regulatory framework and the fast advances in technology are the main challenges that clients in logistics and transports face in current times.
Our team of experts is always at the forefront of such innovation and constantly keeps up to date with latest advancement in technology and regulations.
We provide bespoke assistance on the ground and deal with administrative, technical, regulatory and immigration needs so that our clients can focus on the business.
Services offered include:
- Information technology, including privacy, data protection and cybersecurity;
- Cross-border compliance;
- GDPR compliance implementation;
- Corporate transactions, such as mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, disposals, minority investing, financing;
- Real estate, including warehousing.
Stay connected to our latest news.


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Duolingo announced today the release of their new mobile app for iOS. We took a look at Duolingo as a webapp that runs in a web browser just a few months ago. Since then, the free language learning company has gained enough demand that an iOS app was not only asked for, it was necessary.
So far the app is seeing a solid 5-star rating across the board from over 730 early adopters. On the downside, it’s not compatible with older than third generation iOS devices — with the exception of the iPad. The Duolingo mobile dev team is already rolling out updates to fix minor issues reported by users.
The app is free, and pledges to be free forever. If you’d like to give it a try, the App is available in the official iTunes App Store.


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13 May 2019
Blauberg goes to MCEE-2019
This spring Blauberg has been very busy showing its latest products at a number of trade fairs around the world.
26 April 2019
Presenting the updated 2019 catalogues
Blauberg Ventilatoren has rolled out new editions of its catalogues.
04 April 2019
Blauberg gets into the finals of New Products Competition at MCEE 2019
The VENTO Expert A50-1 S Pro single-room ventilation unit was short-listed for the final round of the New Product Competition in the category of innovative energy-efficient products.
26 March 2019
Blauberg at ISH 2019 – world's leading trade fair for HVACR + Water
ISH 2019 international trade fair organized by Messe Frankfurt took place in the German city of Frankfurt from 11 to 15 March.
19 March 2019
Welcome to our booth at MCEE 2019
We kindly invite you to visit our booth at "MCEE 2019" (Montreal, Canada) from 24th to 25th April 2019.
11 March 2019
Welcome to our booth at Romtherm 2019
We kindly invite you to visit our booth at "Romtherm 2019" (Bucharest, Romania) from 14th to 17th March 2019.


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Brands obviously love their followers, but these days it’s beginning to feel like they love each other even more. What was a noticeably phenomenon during the Super Bowl, has only intensified this Valentine’s Day. Have you felt the love?
Here’s a few brands gettin’ it on today. Get a chat room, guys:
Swiffer blows a kiss at IAMS:
— Swiffer (@Swiffer) February 14, 2014
And at Oldspice:
Intel made a mildly nauseating Vine Valentine (a Valenvine?) for Toshiba:
Hershey’s sends (a photo of) one of their plastic rose tube things to People Mag, among other magazines:
Oreo wants you to remember their sweet creme filling during that weekend Netflix marathon:
Uh, so Crest sent Oral B a Charmin-branded valentine? The bathroom is getting crowded, folks:
This isn’t directed toward another brand, but it made us wonder how many people down Pepto-Bismol after that first kiss:
Love. It can be nauseating sometimes. We feel you. Happy Valentine’s Day, regardless. — Pepto-Bismol (@Pepto) February 14, 2014
Charmin. Never one to shy away from cute-but-corny puns:
— Charmin (@Charmin) February 14, 2014
DiGiorno retweeted some fan-made #Tweethearts:
— Tweethearts (@tweethearts) February 11, 2014
Lastly, we’re not sure what to make of this, but Yo Gabba Gabba! apparently wants to eat Anthony Bourdain?
— Yo Gabba Gabba! (@yogabbagabba) February 14, 2014
More in Marketing
TikTok has officially launched its new e-commerce platform, TikTok Shop, earlier this month on August 1. Using the new e-commerce platform, brands and creators can sell products directly on the platform, potentially creating new revenue streams, and tap into the short-form video platform’s growing popularity.
‘The influencer industry can be really vile’: Confessions of an influencer marketer on the industry’s unfair hiring practices
While the influencer industry might sound exciting and like it’s full of opportunities, one marketer can vouch for the horrific scenarios that still take place behind the scenes.
After a tumultuous 12 months, marketers are getting a clear picture of how they really did during a time of true uncertainty. And, as it turns out, it wasn’t all that bad.
Ad position: web_bfu


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|Photo: Black & Decker|
Black &'s battery-powered adjustable size Auto Wrench was a runaway holiday hit. The novel tool sold out quickly at Home Depot's 2,127 stores.
Holiday-Spending Estimates DeclineRetailers Make Same Marketing Mistake as Airlines
Analysts Revise Forecasts, Citing Impact of Housing-Market Fall
The Disaster of Black Friday's Downward Spiral of Discounts
Well, when Jeremy Wheeler, director-sales at Black & Decker on the Home Depot account, saw the prototype for the 8-inch, battery-operated wrench nearly a year before Christmas, he had a good feeling. "You could just tell it could have a lot of appeal."
He and his crew decided on a national push for the cool adjustable tool at the holidays. The big-box chains jumped on board, and Home Depot committed to supplement the product's national TV spot with heavy print ads. "We just knew that we were going to have a success," he said.
He just didn't know how much: After the TV spot from McCann Erickson hit, there weren't enough twrenches to go around.
"The response from our customer base was more than we expected," said Mr. Wheeler. "We could have probably sold many more if we would have had them."
Black & Decker declined to disclose sales figures, but the wrench sold out quickly at Home Depot's 2,127 stores. "We sold everything we bought by Christmas," said Billy Bastek, a hardware merchant for Home Depot. (Sales are "loco," a Spanish-speaking sales associate in a New Jersey store told a consumer unable to find the wrench at two Home Depots on Dec. 23.)
Barry Fradkin watched the frenzy helplessly at Ludewig's Hardware in Teaneck, N.J. "Once they started advertising, we couldn't get it," said the former owner of the 4,000-square-foot store now operated by his son. "We've had three or four people a day coming in and asking for one." Mr. Fradkin, 43-year veteran of the hardware business, said the four he stocked flew out the doors.
The operator on Lowe's customer-service line days after Christmas said none were available for purchase online. When told Lowe's was offering the product for just $17.99, compared to his list price of $35, Mr. Fradkin said: "I'd buy those myself and sell them because I can't buy it at that price."
It's a better deal than on eBay, where two days after Christmas, the buy-it-now price was $57.99.
Despite the hit product, Black & Decker's outlook isn't so jolly. On Dec. 15, the $6.5 billion company warned it would likely report an 8% sales decline for the fourth quarter.
Holiday shoppers didn't go loco only for wrenches. "Consumers were driven into a frenzy to buy some things, but the supply was so limited," said Britt Beemer, America's Research Group retail analyst.
Nintendo's Wii: As soon as boxes hit the shelves, they were gone, despite blogs buzzing about overactive players and flying-Wii-mote accidents-pictures of broken TV sets, windows and more -- along with the strange phenomenon of Wiis freaking out next to luminous Christmas displays. Nintendo also got an unexpected present in gangbuster sales of Nintendo DS Lite.
TMX Elmo: In a survey one week before Christmas, 55% of parents said they gave up trying to find it.
HDTVs: A survey of retail store managers the day after Black Friday found they could have sold 10 times more sets if they'd had them.
IPod (again): Though Microsoft had high hopes for Zune, anecdotal evidence points to domination by Apple's iPod. Though market share of traffic to Zune.net was up 1,030% on Christmas Day vs. the previous Monday, Dec. 18, market share of visits to the iTunes website was up 1,222% over Christmas 2005, and visits outnumbered Zune.net 30 to 1.
~ ~ ~
Beth Snyder Bulik contributed to this report.


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HOLLY Willoughby has driven fans dotty after slipping into a red and black dress worth a pricey £900.
Holly, 37, posted a snap of herself wearing the expensive tulle frock online and she has been branded a 'sexy ladybird' by some of her smitten fans.
The This Morning star is stood in front of a black and white spotted backdrop while wearing the eye-catching frock and has bare feet.
One follower simply commented with the word "sexy", while another added: "You look like a happy ladybug."
Other fans have also compared Holly to the character Rizzo from Grease, who wore a similar red and black dress in the 1978 movie.
One said: "Reminds me of Rizzo’s prom dress."
A second simply wrote: "Rizzo dress!!!"
Meanwhile, hours after sharing the stunning photograph online, Holly clocked out of her day job to begin a six-week summer holiday.
Together with Phillip Schofield, Holly was seen drinking some canned wine on the ITV daytime show to toast their last day of work.
The pair were trying out different varieties of the boozy beverage as part of a consumer slot but declared, "Here's to the holidays!" as they clinked their glasses.
MOST READ IN TV & SHOWBIZ
It has since been announced that Holly and Phillip will be replaced on the This Morning sofa by Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes.
Earlier this week, Eamonn told a fan that he and Ruth are coming to the end of their own summer holiday before taking up the helm.
He tweeted: "Just on a couple of weeks off to recharge before a full on Summer stint."
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Ola announced Ola Cars, a new vehicle trading platform that will provide assistance to car buyers when purchasing a new vehicle.
Ola Cars will allow consumers to purchase new and used vehicles through the Ola app. It will offer services ranging from the purchase, financing and insurance of the vehicle, registration, maintenance, including diagnosis and maintenance of the vehicle, accessories and finally the resale of the vehicle to Ola Cars. The company plans to make it a one-stop-shop for buying, selling and managing cars.
Ola Cars will start with used vehicles and, over time, Ola will also open it up to new vehicles from Ola Electric and other car brands.
According to a company statement, the service will initially be available in 30 cities and Ola Cars will expand to more than 100 cities by next year.
The company also announced the appointment of Arun Sirdeshmukh as CEO of Ola Cars. Arun has worked with companies such as Amazon India, Reliance Trends, and IBM Global Services. He will oversee all of the company’s sales and distribution, service, marketing, customer support and go-to-market strategy.
Speaking on the announcement, Bhavish Aggarwal, Founder and CEO, Ola said, “Customers are looking for a new way to buy, maintain and sell their vehicles. They are no longer happy with archaic retail store fashion. They want more transparency and a digital experience. With Ola Cars, we bring a whole new experience of buying, selling and overall ownership of new and used vehicles. I look forward to working with Arun and building this central pillar of our vision for new mobility. “
Announcing Ola Cars’ plans, Arun Sirdeshmukh, CEO of Ola Cars, said: “Ola has always been committed to delivering technological innovations to improve the mobility experience for consumers. With Ola Cars, we are completely reinventing not only buying and selling, but also financing, insurance and maintenance of vehicles – a first end-to-end digital experience for our customer. We plan to expand aggressively over the next few months in India and international markets and also launch new verticals in this industry including used 2W vehicles and new vehicles. “
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Deloitte: businesses must wake up to the internal threat Technology, media and telecommunications businesses are not doing enough to protect themselves against cyber threats, according to a report from...
China had warned of 'repercussions' should Canada bar Huawei from the country's 5G networks
No-so-Faster Payments borkage hits Lloyds Banking Group
Apple to appeal order pay $440m over FaceTime patent infringement
Technology and staff to shift to Google following deal


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You have most likely heard of Tesla’s autopilot semi-autonomous driving system that exists within its higher quality vehicles. It may not become the norm unless the politics surrounding the system dissolves.
After a number of Autopilot accidents including the death of Joshua Brown, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating Tesla’s autopilot system.
Vehicles with Autopilot are equipped with cameras, radar, and ultrasonic sensors used for Autosteering, and Auto Lane Change. Despite Elon Musk’s apparent faith in Autopilot, Consumer Reports feels otherwise: it wants Tesla to disable the auto steer functions.
Aside from steering, auto steer enables braking and accelerating.
Consumer Reports employee Laura MacCleery explained, “…today, we’re deeply concerned that consumers are being sold a pile of promises about unproven technology.”
Supposedly Tesla Autopilot comes with a “keep your hands on the wheel at all times” warning when activated.
Tesla Autopilot functions like the systems that airplane pilots use when conditions are clear,” Tesla said. “The driver is still responsible for, and ultimately in control of, the car. This is enforced with onboard monitoring and alerts. To further ensure drivers remain aware of what the car does and does not see, Tesla Autopilot also provides intuitive access to the information the car is using to inform its actions.”
One important thing to note, however, is that not every citizen could manage an airplane even if on Autopilot. Consumer Reports remains worried about the confusion that can take place about when citizens should take control versus continue enabling Autopilot.
Consumer Reports issued several requests to Tesla, some of which include disabling Autosteer, changing the “Autopilot” name, providing more information to consumers, and avoiding beta releases. So far, Tesla is not really taking the hint.


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Japanese tech major Horiba opens Rs 100-crore centre in Chakan
Horiba has invested Rs 100 crore in the centre, which is the ninth base for the diversified Japanese technology company.
Bajaj commences production of 400-cc bike from Chakan plant
"We are proud to announce this historic roll out at Chakan today with our all women assembly line. Our new bike will set new benchmarks in its segment," Bajaj Auto President (Motorcycle Business) Eric Vas said.
Bosch to manufacture 2-wheeler ABS at Chakan from April
Bosch today said it is planning to start manufacturing anti-lock braking system (ABS) for two-wheelers at its Chakan plant near here from next fiscal.
Amazon opens fulfilment centre in Chakan, Pune
The new fulfilment centre will allow Amazon.in to offer its ‘Fulfilment by Amazon’ service to small and medium businesses in the region.
ZF Group sets up Global Purchasing Office in Chakan, to source Euro 100 million by 2017
The vehicle chassis and driveline component maker aims to triple its sourcing from India to 100 million Euros, in the next 18 months, in line with Modi govt's 'Make in India' campaign.
Starkenn Sports plans to make high-end bicycles in Chakan
The facility is likely to be up and running by the end of 2016 and will have an annual production capacity of 45,000 units.
Bajaj to expand Chakan plant in Maharashtra, aims 23% market share
Two wheeler major Bajaj Auto is looking at expanding its Chakan plant capacity in Maharashtra as part of its plans to raise its market share to 23 per cent from the current 17 per cent.
JLR to assemble more cars at Chakan plant in India
Tata owned premium luxury carmaker, Jaguar Land Rover, has planned to spend 3.5 billion euros on new product development in India in the current year.
Sandvik AB to invest $45 million for manufacturing plant in Chakan
"We will invest $ 45 million to commence development of the site by mid-2015 and the plant will become operational by 2016," Faxander said.
Mahindra & Mahindra to invest Rs 4K cr on Chakan plant expansion
Auto major Mahindra & Mahindra, will invest Rs 4,000 crore over a 7-year period to expand its existing facility at Chakan in Maharashtra.
Forbes Marshall opens new manufacturing facility in Chakan
Well-known boiler manufacturer company Forbes Marshall, based in Pune, has opened its new facility in Chakan.
ARaymond opens its first manufacturing facility in Chakan
With an investment of Rs 45 crore the plant spread across 7.5 acres land ARaymond inaugurated its first plant in India, at Chakan, Pune on Monday.
Make in India: PM Narendra Modi opens GE's multi-modal manufacturing facility at Chakan
In the first phase of operations, the facility named 'Brilliant Factory' at Chakan, will manufacture products and solutions for power sector.
Workers at Bajaj Auto's Chakan plant end strike
Workers union at Bajaj Auto's Chakan plant has decided to call off the strike and resume work from Wednesday this week.
No production loss due to Chakan strike: Rajiv Bajaj
Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director of Bajaj Auto, says there is no production loss due to the labour unrest at Chakan plant


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Internet security multinational AVG Technologies is going into business with online data protection specialist Infrascale in providing solutions for small and midsized businesses.
AVG says a strategic agreement between the two is aimed at the SMB market and will involve a drive to increase adoption of its CloudCare small business IT management platform.
Infrascale, based in Los Angles, provides online backup and file collaboration solutions for SMBs and consumers under the product names of SOS online backup.
AVG says it will make SOS products available to its customers under the agreement.
Mike Foreman, AVG's General Manager for the SMB sector, said
the move is aimed at increasing its presence in the market by aligning itself to Infrascale's profile in the small business channel.
Kenneth Shaw, CEO of Infrascale, supported the assertion by saying they can align the approach of the two companies to the market.


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The company says in a statement to The Canadian Press that it believes cancelling the conference is the best option to make sure no one’s health and safety is at risk.
Shopify is in the process of contacting people who had planned to attend, issuing refunds on tickets and working out how to share the product and service announcements it planned to use the conference for.
Shopify says more than 1,000 people from across the globe attended the conference in its last two years, where they were first to learn about the company’s plans for a U.S. fulfilment network and its first brick-and-mortar location in California.
The new form of the coronavirus has spread to a handful of Canadians and tens of thousands more around the globe.
© 2020 The Canadian Press


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Posted: March 15, 2021
The Commissioner for the National Consumer Commission (NCC), Ms. Thezi Mabuza
The MEC for Economic, Small Business Development and Environmental Affairs, Mr. Makalo Mohale.
The CEO of National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS), Mr Edward Mamadise.
The CEO of Independent Communications Authority (ICASA), Mr. Willington Ngwepe.
The CEO of National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA), Christopher Forlee
The CEO of Consumer Goods and Services Ombudsman (CGSO), Ms. Queen Monyai
Motor Industry Ombudsman of South Africa (MIOSA)
The CEO of National Credit Regulator (NCR), Nomsa Matshegare
Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA)
Consumer Protection Forum (CPF)
All the Senior government Officials representing both national and different provincial governments.
Ladies and gentlemen.
It is with great excitement that I join our National Consumer Commission on the occasion of commemorating the World Consumer Rights Day 2021. I am also excited that I can recognize the NCC as a Regulator has extended invitations widely to other Regulators, whose work directly impacts to the consumer integrity of this country in various economic spaces. Your work as Regulators is important in this country because you get involved where consumers are exposed to the vagaries of being short-changed by the very same platforms and service providers that purport to sell to them quality and genuine products.
I am have been informed that the celebration of this World Consumer Rights Day began on Tuesday, whereby it was launched by Free State MEC Mohale. In a sense, this therefore represent a week long commemoration of this important day in our annual calendar. Through the NCC, I also participated in the SABC radio interviews on the same day, to highlight the importance with which all our regulators, and in particular, the National Consumer Commission is playing in our country as a buffer between the consumer and the notorious suppliers in the market.
As DTIC we have a responsibility to elevate and publicize more work that the NCC does. The criticality of your work requires all the kind of support. It is important because the work that the Commission does, to all intent and purposes, is an act of protecting the weak in our society and those unsuspecting and generally with absolute trust to commercial brands. The work of protecting Consumers generally, as all the different Regulators present here today can testify, is an activist work. One has to be driven by a deep sense of social justice and a fighting spirit against any forms of malfeasances directed against the vulnerable, and the unsuspecting consumers. It is these elements in a human being that should be embedded in their DNA to make them good consumer rights activist professional.
It was on this day – 59 years ago – when President John F Kennedy, sent a special message to the US Congress on 15th of March 1962, in which he formally addressed the issue of consumer rights. He was the first prominent leader to do so. The consumer movement first commemorated this date in 1983 and now marks the day annually to mobilize actions on important issues and campaigns.
As this government, we are encouraged by the clear messages from Consumer International that, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis it is calling for all its members in 100 countries for a focus on the protection and empowerment of individuals in the marketplace, based on consumer rights. And it further calls for a coordinated strategies across nations and intergovernmental bodies to build a fair, safe, resilient and sustainable economies through consumer protection. Consumer international further calls governments to support a global coordinated response to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis that protects and respects consumers in both the immediate efforts to halt the spread of the virus and the worst impacts of the economic effects, and in future strategies to rebuild and renew our social, environmental and economic systems.
As government of South Africa, we have been concerned about what is popularly termed as “vaccine nationalism”. We have seen this in European rich countries and
USA. The undermining, if not bypassing of World Health Organization COVEX Facility which was designed to pool together all World resources for bulk buying of vaccine to be distributed in all countries globally, has been a serious disturbance to us. Poor countries are really left to their own devices as pharmaceutical companies scramble for profits even in vaccines that have proven to be poor in their efficacies against new variants. Our President has raised this matter with WHO both as President and as AU chairperson.
I am very proud that in the mist of all the chaos of COVID-19, our National Consumer Commission has not rested in its laurels. It has stepped up its own activism role in fighting against consumer exploitation by retailers who have escalated the prices of COVID-19 immune system essentials like Garlic, Lemon and Ginger. The current intervention is well timely and commendable in favour of the consumers and their rights. The poor working class have been denied these essentials through these obscene price hikes.
Consumer Protection Services were classified as essential services and this required that consumer protection bodies work throughout the hard lockdown (level 5) specifically to see to the implementation of regulation 350 to curb price gouging. Price Gouging is better defined as “an act or instance of charging customers too high a price for goods or services, especially when demand is high and supplies are limited”. Price Gouging gained popularity with the outbreak of the Covid-19 Pandemic, wherein (retailers)suppliers started selling necessities, more particularly Masks and Sanitizers, at high prices. To curb the exorbitant price increases, the Minister promulgated the Consumer and Customer Protection and National Disaster Management Regulations and Directions, issued in terms of Regulation 350 of Government Notice 43116 of 19 March 2020 as prohibited conduct.
Although the regulations were made applicable to the supply of a certain category of goods during the period of the national disaster, they only came into effect on the date of publication of the regulations in the Gazette (19/03/2020).
The Regulations prohibited the supply of goods and services at a price that is unfair, unreasonable and unjust. Prior to the promulgation of the Regulations, the Minister made a Public announcement about price gouging and the intended Regulations. This had a two-way effect:
The suppliers who had increased their prices following the outbreak of the Regulations, reduced their prices on promulgation of the Regulations; and
This meant that those suppliers who reduced their prices just before the Regulations came into effect, could not be prosecuted under the Regulations, regardless of clear price gouging immediately before the Regulations came into effect.
Another critical important area that we must commend the work of the Commission is with regards to the mushrooming of pyramid schemes. I know that FSCA also do a lot of work in this area from the point of view of closing down these pyramid schemes and ensuring prosecutions. The National Lockdown resulted in hundreds of South Africans losing their income or some receiving less than what they normally received. While the country was grappling with the effects of Covid-19 and the National Lockdown, most South Africans took a lot of financial knock and food security was threatened. Unscrupulous people used the Covid-19 disaster to their advantage and preyed on desperate and unsuspecting victims.
During the period of the hard lockdown, social media platforms were and are still flooded with pyramid schemes promising to double people’s money over the shortest period of time. They only sell a fantasy. The idea of getting rich quickly always result in most consumers losing their hard-earned cash. Pursuant to suspicious activities that were picked up by the FIC, complaints posted by consumers, the National Consumer Commission decided to conduct investigations.
One of your mandates as the National Consumer Commission is to ensure that businesses complies with the Consumer Protection Act and its regulations. We have received a briefing that recently you have been doing some commendable work around the imports, looking at labelling requirements. In promoting compliance with the Country of Origin Labelling (COOL), you have embarked on inspections as an enforcement tool to check the levels of compliance and non-compliance. SARS has reported the high levels of non-compliance with the Country of Origins Labelling especially with regards to the clothing, textiles, shoes and leather categories. The
South African Revenue Services (SARS) mandate in this regard is to identify, detect and where there are suspected violations, they escalate the matter to you, as a Regulator, with jurisdiction. A lot of these interventions and arrests were made in Durban and Cape Town Ports.
I am excited that you have taken the issue of consumer right at the centre of the society, although so much work need to be done in punching above your weight. I want to see programmes that go straight to the poor women in villages, and the uneducated in our society. The women who sell their vegetables in taxi and bus ranks but do their bulk buying in wholesales that sell them less than standard, if not poor quality staff for selling, to our people. I am happy that the Commission has started with Umhlobo weNene radio station to buy slots for a dedicated programme on Consumer rights. That’s a good start, but I want to see that programme replicated to Ukhozi fm, Lesedi fm, Ligwalagwala fm, Moghana fm, Inkwenkwezi Fm and other vernacular stations. Once the country is back to normal after COVID-19, I will be inviting the Commission in various outreach programmes to educate our people as part of empowerment.
To that end I am happy that you have decided to take a step further by developing a Consumer Law Module to be launched in University of Fort Hare. We need more law expects in fighting for Consumer rights against big and powerful corporates that are armed with Commercial lawyers, who are always ready to defend them in courts against the vulnerable and weak, thereby getting away with murders.
I therefore wish you success, and for the success of this World Consumer Rights Day of 2021. Let us use this day to reenergize ourselves as Activist committed to the greater cause of defending the weak and the unsuspecting in our society, that’s our inescapable mandate!


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Textbook writer Pearson has revealed its plans to make use of nonfungible tokens (NFTs) to maintain observe of digital textbook gross sales and successfully “diminish the secondary market.”
In keeping with a Bloomberg report on Monday, Pearson CEO Andy Hen desires to assign NFTs to its digital textbooks in order to keep better track of sales and capture revenue that was previously lost on the secondhand market.
Bird hopes the company can use the technology to earn commission on second-hand sales of its textbooks, which are normally done privately from one student to another. Bird noted:
“Technology like blockchain and NFTs allows us to participate in every sale of that particular item as it goes through its life. The possibility to participate in downstream revenues […] I find really interesting.”
He noted that a Pearson textbook is typically resold up to seven times over the course of its life.
As Pearson explores its options with blockchain technology to scrap further sale revenues, Bird added that his company would be looking into ways his company can take advantage of the Metaverse:
“We have a whole team working on the implications of the metaverse and what that could mean for us.”
Making a move into the Metaverse could be a lucrative one in the medium term, as the market cap of the virtual world is to meet expectations by exceeding $50 billion by 2026.
The London-based publisher is part of a growing cohort of academic entities looking into the Metaverse. Last week, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) launched its first classroom in the Metaverse.
The company’s plans to use NFTs have, however, been met with some criticism from the community.
Some academics, such as researcher at Intel Zane Griffin Talley Cooper decried Pearson’s “predatory academic publishing,” though admitted that this is “likely where NFT tech is moving.” In his Tuesday tweet, Cooper added “We gotta watch these things rigorously.”
Others say Pearson’s supposed plans for NFTs usually are not really utilizing NFT know-how in any respect.
Expertise analyst Ian Cutress stated in a Tuesday Tweet that “NFT is only a buzzword right here,” and what Pearson is asking an NFT is only a code that second-hand consumers must pay a price for with a view to activate their digital books.
Is that this actually NFTs, or is that this Pearson simply permitting individuals to bundle a e-book right into a code, promote the code? That is not an NFT. NFT is only a buzzword right here. Be aware that with a view to earn, Pearson cost the one that buys the code a $10 reactivation price. EA tried one thing comparable. https://t.co/C87uejdXNa
— . (@IanCutress) August 2, 2022
Associated: Gucci turns into first main model to simply accept ApeCoin funds
Pearson is already one of many largest publishers on the planet with $4.2 billion in income in 2021. Their textbooks are utilized in excessive faculties, schools and universities around the globe.
The corporate is on tempo to beat that mark in 2022 as its first half revenues got here in at $2.2 billion, and income are up 14% to $208.7 million in the identical interval, based on the British publication Telegraph on Monday.
Supply & Picture rights : https://Newsplaneta.com/information/textbook-publisher-wants-to-use-nfts-to-skim-the-used-textbook-market
Underneath Part 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “truthful use” for functions corresponding to criticism, remark, information reporting, educating, scholarship, and analysis. Honest use is a use permitted by copyright statute which may in any other case be infringing.”


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Samsung Galaxy S10 is the next highly anticipated flagship device. Previous reports had claimed that the smartphone would come with an under the display fingerprint scanner, but newer reports have confirmed that and more. According to the latest reports, the Samsung Galaxy S10 will possibly get Qualcomm’s third-generation ultra-sonic fingerprint sensor. And application of this technology is being done at the cost of the iris-scanner that is present in the currently available flagships from the company.
According to tipster Ice Universe, Samsung also expects the fingerprint technology to be exclusive for at least six months in the year 2019. The new fingerprint sensor is all set to be faster than the presently available under display fingerprint sensor. The new technology will also be cover around 30 percent of the screen which is a larger area, making things easier for the user. This will help avoid the problem that is there with the present generation under display fingerprint sensors, which is that they cover too little of the screen and the user has to be pinpoint when using the fingerprint sensor.
And the larger area coverage will not be the only positive aspect of the new fingerprint sensor, the new ultra-sonic technology will top the present optic sensors by quite a bit.
WATCH: Samsung Galaxy Note 9 First Look
The new ultra-sonic technology from Samsung will apparently capture a 3D image of the user’s fingerprint along with the sweat pores and ridges hence creating a more distinct image. This could be a game changer in the under the display fingerprint sensor technology in the business.


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The real growth of the gross domestic product (GDP) in Bulgaria for 2023 will be 1.8% compared to 3.9% in 2022 . The growth is mainly determined by an increase in private consumption and positive net exports. The change in inventories has a significant..
In December 2023, Bulgarian households deposited EUR 1.15 billion. The total amount of savings reached EUR 40 billion. Bank deposits of businesses and households amount to more than EUR 63.5 billion. In December last year, people were saving instead..
Bulgaria expects a positive growth of the economy and of investments in 2024. GDP growth will exceed that of 2023, which is around 1.8%, and we expect it to approach 3%, Economy Minister Bogdan Bogdanov predicted in an interview for the Bulgarian..
The German company Kayser Automotive will invest in a production facility for components such as piping systems, valves and tank parts in Pleven,..
Retail fuel prices in Bulgaria rose by an average of 10 cents for diesel and 4 cents for petrol last month . "The prices are fully justified...
The state of the Bulgarian labor market at the end of 2023 points to a tendency towards stagnation. This is the conclusion of an..


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The following article was written by Richard Perona, VP of Institutional FX at Advanced Markets LLC.
Coinbase Global, Inc., the first company of its kind without an official, physical headquarters, went public on 14 April 2021.
Founded in 2012 by Brian Armstrong and Fred Ehrsam from a $150K start up incubator, now it is the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the United States by trading volume and has almost 43 million verified users (almost 4 times that of Robinhood).
Last month Coinbase went public on the Nasdaq exchange via a direct stock listing. Coinbase’s (COIN) stock opened at $381, valuing the company at almost $86 billion, peaked at $429.54 and then dropped.
Coinbase reported in its SEC filing net revenue of $1.14 billion in 2020, up from $483 million the previous year. The company also saw net income of $322 million for the year after posting a loss in 2019. The platform holds $90 billion worth of crypto assets out of $782 billion worth on the crypto market.
Fortune wrote last moth about the “Coinbase Effect” – a new phenomenon in the crypto world. It is observed that the price of cryptocurrencies, planned to be listed for sale on a dominant crypto exchange such as Coinbase, started to increase in the days after the listing news becomes public. The cryptocurrencies listed on the exchange influence which cryptocurrencies gain acceptance and which ones are left behind.


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Results 1-10 of 959
Sort by: Date | Relevancy
Plus 'Advent Calendar' and 'Speed Duel Starter Decks' Rescheduled
September 24, 2018
Konami has announced Legendary Duelists: SIsters of the Rose, and updated release information on two products.
With Three Worldwide Events
September 12, 2018
Konami will celebrate the 200th Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series (YCS) with three concurrent events held around the world.
July 30, 2018
Sales of hobby games in the U.S. and Canada topped $1.5 billion for the first time in 2017, reaching $1.55 billion, according to a new estimate compiled by ICv2 and reported in Internal Correspondence #94.
From 'ICv2's Internal Correspondence' #94
July 30, 2018
These charts of the Top 10 Hobby Channel Collectible Games, Top 3 Mass Market Channel Collectible Games and Top 5 Collectible Games Over-all reflect sales in Spring 2018.
Based on 'Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links' Mobile Game
July 26, 2018
Konami announced Speed Dueling will be added to the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card game with Speed Duel Starter Decks.
In 'Movie Pack Special Edition'
July 24, 2018
Exclusive cards from the Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions movie will be available again when the Movie Pack Special Edition set releases.
In New Structure Deck and Booster Set
July 20, 2018
This fall, zombies and other creatures that can return to life will be featured in two new Yu-Gi-Oh! titles.
July 05, 2018
Konami is taking Fusion Summoning to the next level with the Yu-Gi-Oh! Soul Fusion Booster.
'Legendary Hero Decks'
June 22, 2018
Konami will release the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game: Legendary Hero Decks boxed set.
More Cards for Blue-Eyes White Dragon Decks
June 08, 2018
Konami will release the new Legendary Duelists: White Dragon Abyss set.


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NEW DELHI: Under pressure from the international community to cut emissions and support the fight against climate change,Indiais focusing on implementation of energy efficiency measures in a big way. The country has targeted to save as much as 12,000 mw of electricity by increasing energy efficiency standards of power equipment and appliances and buildings during the current Twelfth Five-Year Plan (April 2012-March 2017).
‘‘We have targeted energy savings of 12,000 mw during the 12th Plan,’’ Ajay Mathur, director general, BEE, told FE.
The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), a statutory body under the Union power ministry, has raised energy efficiency standards for split air-conditioners by 8%. The move comes in the wake of the upcoming freeze hydro-chlorofloro-carbons under the Montreal Compact on Environment next year. BEE introduced mandatory star labelling of electrical appliances in January 2010.
Star-labelleing indicates the level of energy savings. Consumers can make an informed choice about purchase of air-conditioners by looking at Stars inscribed on the appliance. A commercial consumer is likely to prefer air-conditioners with higher Star ratings because of larger potential energy savings, which would entail a shorter payback period for him.
“We are happy that our initial steps in introducing star labelling for airconditioners has borne such good results,” Mathur said.
The agency has also developed a mobile phone-based application “AC Power Saver” to create awareness among electricity consumers. It enables consumers to calculate energy consumption and savings on their mobile handsets. The application will be available for Android, Balckberry and iPhone users free of charge. These tools will help consumers calculate in advance their annual electricity bills and the potential savings. BEE is also training air-conditioner sales executives as part of its consumer awareness programme. It has already trained 1,544 salesmen across six cities. BEE has partnered with Emerson Climate Technologies and International Copper Promotion Council to educate the market on the benefits of the star labelling for split airconditioners. The agency plans to further tighten the energy efficiency norms for split air-conditioners in 2014.


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Posted on May 17, 2013 AT 04:22am
GameStop has removed Rainbow Six: Patriots from its database and it is no longer available to pre-order sparking rumors of the title being cancelled.
A source with intimate knowledge of the retailer told IGN that GameStop ”actively flipped a switch” to remove Rainbow Six: Patriots from its system. “GameStop tends not to remove big-name games from major publishers without an official confirmation that a title is dead,” the source said
Other retailers such as Amazon and GAME are still carrying pre-order listings for the game casting a cancellation into doubt. It could just be that the game has suffered a significant delay due to a overhaul, or it could mean nothing at all. If I had to have a guess, I’d go with a next generation overhaul of the game which will be announced at Ubisoft’s E3 press conference.
Rainbow Six: Patriots was announced back in 2011, but very little has been heard about the game since. When asked about the listing removal Ubisoft told IGN, ”We have nothing further to share about Rainbow 6: Patriots at this time.”
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New Delhi, July 24: Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Friday said the Northeastern region has a special role to play in the promotion of trade and business with ASEAN countries as it is the gateway to the growing economies of South East Asian nations.
Singh also said that India and ASEAN will have a major role in the post-COVID-19 world and its economy and the future belongs to them due to common traits of grit, courage and determination to scale newer heights.
Delivering the keynote address on cross-border conversations with entrepreneurs from the ASEAN organised by India ASEAN Women’s Business Forum and FICCI, Singh said due to close business and cultural ties between India and ASEAN, the region will take a lead in the economic recovery in the post-COVID-19 era.
Singh, the Union minister for the development of north eastern region (DoNER), said the Northeastern region has a special role to play in the promotion of trade and business relations with ASEAN as it is the gateway to the growing economies of South East Asian nations.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has changed the policy of ‘Look East’ to ‘Act East’ to take the bilateral cooperation to newer heights.
Referring to the connectivity issues, Singh said in the last six years, there has been a significant development in terms of road, rail and air connectivity, helping facilitate the movement of goods and persons not only across the region but also across the country.
The minister recalled that the Indo-Bangladesh treaty for exchange of enclaves, which was accomplished under the leadership of Modi, has cleared the decks for ease of business, ease of movement and ease of commuting, which was earlier a tedious task.
He said very soon a train will run to Bangladesh from Tripura heralding a new chapter and opening new vistas in the development of this region by providing the entire region access to seaports.
The minister also underlined the continued focus of the Indian government to explore alternate modes of transport that is inland waterways (from Brahmaputra to Bay of Bengal) connecting with other countries of the region as a cheaper option for trade, business and transportation.
He said this will boost the trade across the borders especially with the eastern neighbours by leaps and bounds.
Dwelling on the all-round developmental role played by women and their self-help groups in the Northeastern region, Singh said it is a shining example of women emancipation and women empowerment.
He said even during the times of pandemic, women from the Northeast took a lead and, produced and distributed sanitizers and beautiful masks on a large scale.
He said women have excelled in the fight against pandemic and helped the Northeastern region to emerge as a model of coronavirus management.
Singh also launched the India-ASEAN joint business collaboration on the occasion.
The minster was awarded with the green certificate for his concerns for sustainable development and preservation of environment. (PTI)


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At the Global TD-LTE (GTI) Summit a month ago during the Mobile World Congress, senior executives of Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio Infocomm had... ...http://www.lightreading.in/lightreadingindia/news-analysis/295502/4g-world-series-device-lag-mars-lte-takeoffs
Smartphone vendor OPPO Mobiles today said it will have 10 mobile phones across categories by December 2014 from the current 4 models. It will also... ...http://www.telecomlead.com/smart-phone/oppo-mobile-expand-retail-service-center-presence-india-93713/
/PRNewswire/ -- After the success of the launch edition last year, the 4G World India announces the second edition to be held this year... ...http://www.prnewswire.co.in/news-releases/telecom-analysts-gear-up-to-share-the-future-4g-lte-trends-at-the-2nd-edition-of-4g-world-india-254489561.html
A few years ago, Apple was feted as the most innovative company with an unassailable brand. Its products were unique. Its margins were huge.... ...http://www.mydigitalfc.com/op-ed/new-battleground-smartphones-551
KOLKATA: is looking to open 3,000-4,000 exclusive outlets across Indian towns with a population of less than 1,00,000 as part of its strategy to... ...http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/telecom/smartphone-major-samsung-to-open-up-to-4000-stores-in-small-towns/articleshow/33419822.cms
If you are looking for Karbonn Smart...


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More than six years after a couple of investors got their fingers burnt when they failed to recover the money they had channeled towards building hotels in preparation for the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala - which turned out to be poorly attended - the hotel industry appears to be recuperating. While there were hotels that went under receivership as a result of defaulting on bank loans, a number of Ugandan hotels are now witnessing more dealerships coming their way.
Protea hotel Entebbe plans to double its size even after it opened just two years ago. The hotel, which in a statement said it is experiencing increased demand, is expected to add 100 new rooms, with construction expected to begin in May and last about a year. There are also plans for Protea to put up a hotel in Hoima, where a couple of oil exploration, and soon production, activities are taking place.
While the Hilton hotel in Nakasero might have missed a couple of deadlines for its completion date, the project is in its final stages. At Shimoni, the former site for Saudi Arabia's Kingdom Holdings, work on a hotel and shopping complex is ongoing. More hotels such as GeoLodges, Cielo Country Inn in Ishaka town, and the Marassa group hotels have opened up in the countryside.
Industry players say the renewed interest in the hospital sector is driven by the growth in Uganda's economy.
"Continued economic growth will see an organic increase in business travel in and to the country, and as long as 'brand Uganda' continues to market itself on the international stage, the tourist numbers should grow as well," Danny Bryer, the director of sales, marketing and revenue for the Protea Hospitality group, said in a statement.
Stuart Cook, the head of Protea hotels in Uganda, said: "Protea hotel Entebbe has been running at high occupancies since it first opened; so, building this new wing is a necessity."
One of the biggest drivers remains the oil industry. As Uganda prepares to embark on the production stage of its oil industry, which has an estimated expenditure bill of roughly $10bn, other service providers have positioned themselves to tap into these opportunities.
According to the Protea Hospitality group's 2013 Africa Pipeline Study, Uganda could increase its room occupancy by 54% depending on planned construction projects. Regional integration is another reason Uganda's hospitality industry is likely to thrive. Recently, the East African states signed to the EAC single tourist Visa. This means that Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda have agreed on a visa fee of $100 and on a revenue sharing model that will see each partner state retain $30 and $10 retained for administrative expenses.
However, Balagadde, the executive director of Uganda Hotel Owners Association, feels that much more should be done in terms of infrastructure and skills development by member countries.
"Successful implementation of the EAC single tourist visa requires that Uganda puts in place appropriate strategies and actions to ensure that her key challenges such as poor infrastructure and lack of skills are addressed so as to benefit from the single tourist visa."
Benedict Naturinda, the owner of Cielo Country Inn in Ishaka town, believes it is all about taking the service where it is needed.
"We are looking at the gaps in the service provision. The quality of the service matters," he said.
The quality of service is becoming a top industry concern. The country has already planned to assess the quality of service at hotels in order to classify them. Hotel owners will have to earn their statuses and not simply identify themselves as a five-star with no official approval.
"The hotel rating is long overdue because of funding constraints. It is expected to start in January. However, sensitization of the hotel owners should be accomplished to ensure willingness to invest in the proposed changes," said Samuel Balagadde.
According to Vision 2040, the potential for Uganda's hospitality industry is undoubted. It notes that by 2011, tourism contributed 14.6 per cent of total employment (630,830 jobs) and the sector contributed 23 per cent of the total registered businesses (hotels restaurants, recreational and personal services) in the country.
The tourism sector's total contribution to the economy is estimated at $1.7bn, representing nine per cent of GDP, according to the ministry of Finance. The sector only trailed remittances from abroad for generation of foreign exchange in 2010, contributing $662m in 2010 compared to $773m from remittances.
News that close to $12m has been invested in the upgrading of the Hotel and Tourism Training Institute (HTTI) at Jinja is a boost to the industry. The imitative will give young people the necessary skills needed for the hospitality industry.
Balagadde says there is room for more investments in the hotel business, and believes that such classy small hotels can give the big hotels a run for their money.
"There is a market for all hotels irrespective of size and facilities," he said.
The Uganda Bureau of Statistics, in its Statistical Abstract 2013, shows that most of the services in the hospitality sector witnessed an increase in prices between 2011 and 2012 as demand went up.


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10/9/2014 5:53 AM
Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano, and Shuji Nakamura have won the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics “for the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources.” The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences made the announcement on October 7, explaining in a press release
that when the scientists “produced bright blue light beams from their semi-conductors in the early 1990s, they triggered a fundamental transformation of lighting technology. Red and green diodes had been around for a long time but without blue light, white lamps could not be created.” White LED lamps are long-lasting and energy efficient. “The LED lamp holds great promise for increasing the quality of life for over 1.5 billion people around the world who lack access to electricity grids: due to low power requirements it can be powered by cheap local solar power,” continued the press release.
In terms of displays, the GaN technology for blue LEDs that the three men invented has made significant contributions to displays. LEDs have replaced CCFL backlighting systems, achieving both higher color gamut and lower power consumption.
9/30/2014 7:44 AM
Nanoco Group plc,
a leading developer and manufacturer of cadmium-free quantum dots and other nanomaterials, has noted an announcement from The Dow Chemical Company,
Nanoco’s global licensing partner, stating that Dow has begun construction...
9/30/2014 5:09 AM
Many companies that make ITO alternatives have found that uptake of their products has so far been disappointing. This is not due necessarily to their technology, but to issues within the supply chain. The main challenges these companies have encountered in 2014 are outlined in a recent report, "Transparent Conductive Films (TCF) 2014-2024,"
by research and events firm IDTechEx,
which profiled nearly 100 organizations working across more than 12 types of transparent-conductive film (TCF) technologies.
ITO alternatives that have gained the most traction so far include silver nanowires and metal mesh options, with early stage leaders being Fujifilm and O-Film, reports IDTechEx.
Due to smartphones and tablets being relatively saturated, and with the launch of Windows 8, which supports touch screens, consumer electronics...
9/22/2014 9:54 AM
September 2014. AIXTRON,
a leading provider of deposition equipment to the semiconductor industry, has teamed up with research institution Fraunhofer IISB
(Institute for Integrated Systems and Device Technology) in Erlangen, Germany, to develop 150 mm Silicon Carbide (SiC) epitaxy processes using the new AIXTRON 8x150 mm G5WW Vapor Phase Epitaxy (VPE) system. AIXTRON’s Planetary Reactor tool will be installed at the IISB cleanroom laboratory in the fourth quarter of 2014.
Fraunhofer IISB has developed fundamental technology for low-defect-density SiC epitaxial processes that are elementary for the manufacturing of high voltage SiC devices. Special characterization techniques like room temperature photoluminescence imaging and selective defect etching have been developed and adapted to the SiC material properties at Fraunhofer IISB. In its laboratories, complete SiC prototype devices can be processed and characterized....
9/9/2014 6:21 AM
September 8, 2014. Broadcom Corporation, a global leader in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications, has announced that BrightSign LLC, a market leader in digital signage, has chosen Broadcom's Ultra HD system-on-chip (SoC) technology for its new line of 4K media players. Leveraging Broadcom's BCM7444 and BCM7252 SoC devices for advanced compression and decoding, BrightSign's line of digital signage media players delivers native 4K, 60-frame-per-second (fps) video and 10-bit color, optimized for use in a variety of commercial applications including advertising, retail stores, stadiums, museums, and other public displays.
8/26/2014 2:58 AM
Insight Media, publisher of the Display Central news portal, recently sold its publishing and advertising operation to Meko,
a UK-based news and market research consultancy that has covered the display industry for many years. According to Insight Media, operation of the Display Central news portal (now Meko’s Display Central), the Display Central marketing and promotional programs, the Display Daily email news service, and the subscription newsletters Large Display Report (now Large Display Monitor News) and Mobile Display Report, will continue with little substantive changes.
Noted Insight Media President and Founder, Chris Chinnock. “I will continue to be involved with the publishing operation as a Display Daily contributor and sales agent, but much of my focus will now turn toward supporting clients in specific strategic and tactical projects.” The Insight Media team of analysts will remain intact to support these other services.
“One of the key reasons...
8/15/2014 8:59 AM
August 2014. Last month, numerous news sources began reporting that Samsung was discontinuing its plasma panel business. A few weeks later, Samsung Electronics Corporation issued this statement by way of confirmation:
“We plan to continue our PDP TV business until the end of this year, due to changes in market demands. We remain committed to providing consumers with products that meet their needs, and will increase our focus on growth opportunities in UHD TVs and curved TVs.”
Earlier this year, Panasonic pulled out of the plasma business. The last big player making plasma TVs is LG Electronics, and reporters and analysts are taking bets as to how long LG will continue. In the meantime, there are some enticing deals on hundreds of models of plasma TVs at retailers such as Amazon.
8/6/2014 3:46 PM
Santa Clara, CA; August 2014. In a move to strengthen its position as a leading supplier in the LCD marketplace, Tianma Microelectronics Co., Ltd.
, Shenzhen, China, has completed the acquisition of its five production lines in Japan, Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Wuhan, and increased its investment in its Chengdu facility.
After this restructuring, Tianma will own 100% shares of Shanghai Tianma, Wuhan Tianma, Shanghai AVIC, and Shenzhen AVIC (2 lines), and 70% shares of Chengdu Tianma. Prior to this, Tianma Microelectronics Co., Ltd. held controlling interests in the six lines. As a result of the stock acquisitions, the combined assets of the company are expected to surpass RMB 10 billion (US $1.6 billion).
According to Tianma, this consolidation of the company’s fabrication line assets will optimize product planning and production, increase efficiency, and create more flexibility in customer support, including faster response times and time to market. A major...
7/29/2014 8:49 AM
St. Paul, MN: July 2014. 3M
has announced that it will acquire, through Sumitomo 3M, Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd.’s
25% interest in Sumitomo 3M Ltd. for 90 billion Japanese Yen (approximately $885 million at current exchange rates). Upon completion of the cash transaction, 3M will own 100% of Sumitomo 3M Ltd. The transaction was expected to close Sept. 1, 2014. Sumitomo Electric Industries is a maker of electric wires and cables, among other products.
“This investment allows us to gain full control of one of 3M’s most successful subsidiaries,” said Inge G. Thulin, 3M chairman, president and chief executive officer. “It is a strategic acquisition in a business we know well, as we have grown the business profitably for over 50 years.”
Sumitomo 3M Limited was established in 1961 as a joint venture between 3M, Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. and NEC Corp. In 2003, 3M acquired NEC’s 25% stake, which increased 3M’s interest to 75%.
7/6/2014 11:46 AM
Darmstadt, Germany; June 2014. Merck,
a leading company for products in the pharmaceutical and chemical sectors, acquired the Dutch specialist for smart window technology Peer+
on July 1, 2014. The two companies have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.
Merck and Peer+ have been cooperating closely since 2011 to develop a market-ready product and production concept for liquid-crystal windows, which are designed for use in energy-efficient buildings. In 2012, the cooperation partners entered into a shareholder agreement under which Merck acquired 70% of the capital interest in Peer+. Merck is now also acquiring the remaining 30%, including around 3% from the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), which co-founded Peer+ in 2008 and has been supporting it since then.
In the future, Merck will concentrate the research and development activities of the liquid-crystal...


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Net Neutrality faces a court battle in the U.S. today.
The big telcoms – Comcast, Verizon, AT&T and others – go to court to challenge the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decision last February that Internet in the U.S. can be regulated as a public utility and access to high-speed broadband Internet should be available to all Americans in a fair and even-handed way.
The telcoms want to charge Internet users higher fees for faster speeds, of course, by setting up tiered delivery structures or “fast lanes” for those willing to pay more; maybe even blocking access to some websites unless consumers pay extra. It would be a little like your local water company charging you a higher price for cleaner water.
The telcoms have appealed the FCC decision to Washington D.C. Court of Appeals (itself a fast lane to the U.S. Supreme Court) and the case will be heard today. A ruling from the appeals court to come as early as next spring. The same court refused to block the new FCC rules in June and Net Neutrality became the law of the land.
However, the appeals court ruled against the FCC in two prior attempts to regulate broadband Internet delivery. In its 2014 decision the court suggested the only way for the FCC to regulate broadband Internet delivery was to declare the Internet a public utility, termed a common carrier in the communications industry. That’s exactly what the FCC did in its February decision, the decision backed by the court in June.
Net Neutrality is the awkward phrase used to describe an Internet which is fair and open to all – as it is currently – and not cordoned off by the rich and powerful for their own economic benefit.
By regulating the Internet as it does telephone companies and radio & television broadcast frequencies – as examples – the FCC places the Internet in the same realm as other regulated industries such as electric and water utilities: industries which allow for private enterprise while also acknowledging and protecting the overall public benefit and necessity of those industries. Private enterprise: sure. Public, consumer exploitation: no – at least in theory.
The concept of Net Neutrality has, by the way, overwhelming public support in the U.S.


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A cryptocurrency exchange based in the U.K. is delisting Ethereum in 2020, focusing exclusively on offering access to BTC.
Effective January 3, 2020, Financial Conduct Authority-licensed exchange Coinfloor will no longer offer access to Ethereum trading, in a significant blow for the cryptocurrency and its profile in the U.K.
According to an announcement from the exchange, all deposits, buying and selling activity will cease on this date. However, users will still be able to withdraw or store Ethereum with Coinfloor beyond the deadline, albeit at a greater cost.
Obi Nwosu, founder and CEO of Coinfloor, said the decision to delist Ethereum comes at a time of waning relevance for the cryptocurrency amongst developers and users. Nwosu said the real aim of crypto should be creating the world’s new money, supporting both operators and developers in building the next generation of financial services.
“The ecosystem of businesses and consumers using or holding bitcoins is growing every day as more people start to recognise its worth. Coinfloor has the opportunity to create financial services that not only meet the…ecosystem’s needs, but also contribute to making this future form of money available to everyone.”
However, Nwosu recognised that other cryptocurrencies still have a role to play: “That being said, we continually look to identify other cryptocurrencies that provide a differentiated proven value proposition, have a strong capable community of supporters, and maintain a focus on decentralisation and censorship resistance.”
The decision to drop Ethereum comes at a time when a growing number of developers are moving to Bitcoin SV. While BTC remains the dominant cryptocurrency worldwide based on market cap, BSV is becoming the developer protocol of choice. This month, BSV has eclipsed ETH in daily transactions. With faster transaction speeds, lower costs and superior developer infrastructure to both BTC and Ethereum, Bitcoin SV is the only cryptocurrency adhering to the original whitepaper version of bitcoin.
New to Bitcoin? Check out CoinGeek’s Bitcoin for Beginners section, the ultimate resource guide to learn more about Bitcoin—as originally envisioned by Satoshi Nakamoto—and blockchain.


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- Steam is one of the biggest digital PC games stores at the moment, favored by millions.
- Valve boss, Gabe Newell, drops console news bomb at panel, sparking interest worldwide.
- Steam could design a new console by the end of this year, according to this news.
- Beloved Steam games can become available for playing on consoles by the end of 2021.
It goes without saying that, in the last years, Steam has been without a doubt the first choice in terms of digital stores for PC gamers.
So, after all these years of domination, the question that arises is: What’s next for Steam?
We can’t know for sure what the future holds, but one of the top people of this company had something to say recently, that shook fans to their cores.
Steam console or Steam games on consoles?
According to a post on Reddit, while attending a panel in New Zealand, the Valve boss, Gabe Newell, managed to capture the attention and imagination of fans with just a few words.
You will have a better idea of that by the end of the year!
Although not clear what this means for us exactly, if we were to make an educated guess, it could be that Steam is preparing to launch a new console, or that Steam games could be coming to consoles.
However, the deadline that Newell provided is in the near future so we won’t be having to keep wondering about the meaning for too long.
For us, any of the choices would represent a winner-winner situation. A new console would be a nice touch brought by Steam but how could it compete with similar devices brought by Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo?
Whatever decision they reach at Steam headquarters, we are sure that fans will go crazy over the idea. All that’s left now is to play the waiting game and hope the results are astonishing.
What do you think Gabe Newell was actually advertising? You can leave your guesses and opinions in the comments section below.


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Nokia's been the center of a little bit of a press storm after it was shown to have faked their PureView HD video advertisement. The video implied it was filmed on the device, but a reflection in a window during the advertisement clearly shows a camera crew, not a Nokia Lumia.
Now, Youssef Sarhan, a designer over on Svbtle has pointed out that the photos that were shown as an example in same video appear to be fake as well. Youssef points out that the telltale sign is the light diffractions in the photos that were taken in Helsinki, Finland.
He points out that the first problem with the images is that these sorts of direct lights don't actually exist in Helsinki like the images suggest, and that it's actually 'ambiently diffused' in the area rather than being direct, shining lights.
Wikipedia says that "diffraction occurs when light hits an opaque edge in the light path, such as the aperture blades in the lens. Diffraction causes the light to be spread out in a plane that is perpendicular to the edge from where the diffraction occurs. So you get two points of sparkle from one edge."
If you look at the photo above, you can clearly see what we're talking about here. The streams of light reaching out from the light sources are the giveaway. To take it further, if you look at another still shot published separately by Nokia, pictured below, the same effect isn't occurring in the photo, confusingly meaning that the company is mixing actual PureView photos with fake ones.
Youssef points out that a camera with with an fixed aperture of f/2 could not possibly generate so many light diffractions, and he also goes on to say that only a camera with f/22 -- like a DSLR -- could generate these kinds of images.
It's not clear why Nokia would go out of their way to deceive their users like this, since they seem pretty confident that the PureView technology is up to the challenge, but these images are looking almost certainly to be not from a PureView device at all.
It's disappointing for a company that seems so confident that this technology is groundbreaking, doing something like this that seems to imply they aren't so sure their technology is enough. We've reached out to Nokia for comment, we'll let you know when we hear back.
Update: We promised we'd reach out to Nokia, and we just got a response back. We directly asked Nokia if the above images were taken on a Lumia 920, and if they were modified at all, and the first time we got a response from Nokia was an email essentially pointing us to the apology post. We pushed them again on this more specific thing, and Nokia's press team responded saying:
Contrary to information posted on some blogger and technology websites, all still images found on the PureView page on Nokia.com were taken using a Nokia Lumia 920 prototype phone. They were not faked.
Regarding the video we released, as we said in our apology we should have posted a disclaimer stating the entire video – including all three sequences – was a representation of optical image stabilization (OIS) only. A disclaimer stating that the video was not shot using a Nokia Lumia 920 is now clearly shown under the video. The images shown at the top of Youssef Sarhan’s blog seem to be screen grabs from the same video – something he says himself: This is a still from Nokia’s new product promo video.
From what Nokia's seemingly saying -- and it takes some reading between the lines here -- it seems these stills are indeed fake, since they were part of the OIS advertisement video and were only intended as a "representation" of the product. Just to be clear, this is because these stills do not show up on the PureView page, and were the only ones that appeared in the video.
We're a little surprised Nokia had to go this far, and can't figure out why they would need to fake the stills too, even in the video, when the stills on the actual PureView website are good enough in themselves.
Update 2: Does it get any worse? The below image has emerged of the photo shoot, which pretty much confirms any doubts.


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Nissan Training Center Opens in California
Nissan is stepping up its efforts on the American market, the one which is expected to do wonders for the Leaf electric vehicles. The opening of the Ontario Training Center marks the second such facility Nissan inaugurated this year, the other one being the center located in Livermore, California.
"Both Nissan and Infiniti continue to bring forward exciting new products to market and our consistent focus on ensuring a quality ownership experience to our customers will be strengthened by this new facility," said Mark Zinger, Nissan's director of customer loyalty and training.
"The late 2010 launch of the Nissan LEAF - the first all-electric vehicle for the mass market – will be directly supported by all-new and sophisticated training efforts as conducted at our new Ontario center."
The location in Ontario spreads for 27,000 sq.-ft. and includes an operational area, multiple classrooms, a component repair area, a vehicle demonstration area with wheel service and alignment areas, 25 service bays and 14 vehicle lifts.
Nissan expects the new center to be very busy. In all, Nissan operates ten such training centers in the US, which train and bring 9,000 technicians from 1,300 retail locations up to date with all the novelties coming from the Japan headquarters. As said, most of the training will cover the new Nissan Leaf.


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More nail design trends are emerging in 2017 as more people are starting to wear nail polish on their nails, according to new research from the Pew Research Center.
More than four in 10 Americans say they have been wearing nail polish at some point in their life, up from 37 percent in 2016.
While people generally wear their nails for the same reasons they do, people also often choose different nail styles and designs.
“Nail art is one of those things that’s changing more and more,” said Michael Siegel, director of the Pew Design Project.
“There’s a lot more variation now.
People are doing more things with their nails.”
The Pew research shows that the number of people who wear nail art rose from 3 percent in 2013 to 5 percent in 2017.
The growth is fueled by people increasingly preferring to wear more than one type of nail polish and the growing popularity of online services like Instagram, Instagram Nail Salon and the Nail Art Lounge.
“People want to be in touch with their individuality,” Siegel said.
“We’re also seeing more people choosing to wear different nail designs.”
Nail polish is becoming a staple for people across the country.
In addition to the nail art trend, nail polishes are being added to beauty and hair products in the U.S. Nail art trend is also spreading to clothing.
While most nail polish trends are trending among men, women are more likely to wear nails.
More women are choosing to be more stylish with their nail designs.
The Pew Research study also found that people are increasingly choosing to decorate their nails.
Nearly three in 10 adults (31 percent) said they have used nail polish to decorat their nails in the past year, up significantly from 18 percent in 2014.
In 2017, more than a quarter (26 percent) of people said they had used nail polish to decoratively decorate a nail, up 4 percentage points from 2016.
People also are starting a nail art career.
Nearly two-thirds of people have a career in nail art (64 percent), up from 55 percent in 2012.
Nails are becoming a trend in hairstyles as well, with about one-third (31%) of people choosing a hairstyle in 2017, up slightly from the 29 percent in 2015.
Nail designs are also getting more popular in the fashion industry.
More men (31% in 2017) than women (27%) have used a nail design in a fashion campaign.
In 2016, a similar percentage of men (30%) said they were using a nail polish design, up 3 percentage points.
The trend of more men choosing nail designs is not limited to men.
About one-quarter (24 percent) people have used the same design in their wedding photography (16 percent of the sample), while another 20 percent have used that design in an art project (20 percent of those surveyed).
People are also finding creative ways to decorating their nails and nail polish accessories.
Nearly one in five adults (19 percent) have used makeup to decorates their nails (up from 16 percent in 2018), and more than four out of five adults have used polish to create nail art accessories.
More than one in three (34 percent) adults (aged 18 to 64) have been able to create and sell their own nail polish, and nearly one in four (26%) adults have had someone create and offer their own manicure and nail art products, up 6 percentage points since 2015.
People also are looking for ways to display their nail art, from decorating with it to putting it on their walls or ceilings.
People are more willing to take risks when it comes to decorated nail art.
Nearly six in 10 people (58 percent) say they would not buy a nail polisher that has nails or nail polish in it, compared to 36 percent in last year’s study.
About half (49 percent) also would not want to wear a nail mask when it came to nail art decoration.
When it comes down to choosing nail art designs, Americans are still looking for more options.
More people (57 percent) now have the ability to purchase and wear nail design designs on their own, up 5 percentage points over last year.
Women are now more likely than men to say they can buy and wear a designer nail design on their personal nails (42 percent vs. 37 percent).
And, more people (59 percent) are now able to buy nail art in different sizes and styles.
Nearly a quarter of people (23 percent) reported that they can now buy a designer manicure with two different sizes of nails, compared with just 13 percent in previous years.
People may also be starting to make the switch to other types of nail art such as nail art collage or nail art stickers.
The popularity of nail design is also on the rise.
More adults (18 percent) report having used a design from a nail salon or nail salon in the last year, compared that in 2016


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UAE sportscar maker embraces electric car revolution
Jannarelly Automotive plans electric version of its Design-1 roadster in response to US demand
Anthony Jannarelly, the co-founder of the Dubai-based custom-built sportscar maker Jannarelly Automotive, is a dyed in the wool petrol head for whom driving is all about how a car makes you feel. Yet even he accepts that battery-powered cars nowadays are a force to be reckoned with.
“I do believe in the electric car, it’s the future for sure,” says the man behind the firm’s petrol-powered retro-styled Design-1 two-seater. So much so, in fact, that his company is jumping on the bandwagon.
“We are working on an electric drivetrain,” he exclusively told The National last month at the company’s modest manufacturing facility in Dubai’s Al Jaddaf industrial complex, spurred on by consumer demand in the US.
“To diversify the range we will go electric because, for instance in California, we have so many people asking for the car in electric. Every time we show the car, people are asking, “Is there an electric version?’”
The move to make an electric version of its sportscar comes as the rise in demand for electric vehicles is accelerating worldwide.
Sales of battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids exceeded 287,000 units in the three months ended in September, 63 per cent higher than the same quarter a year earlier, and up 23 per cent from the second quarter, according to a report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
Such demand comes as governments around the world set ambitious targets for cleaner transport. France and the UK said they will ban sales of new petrol and diesel-burning cars by 2040, while the Netherlands is targeting that all new cars sold by 2030 will be emissions-free. China is considering similar targets, with even the car-saturated US state of California considering following suit.
Embracing such a policy would send shockwaves through the global car industry due to the heft of California’s car market. More than 2 million new passenger vehicles were registered in the state in 2017, more than France, Italy or Spain.
“There are people who believe, including who work for me, that you could stop all sales of new internal-combustion cars by 2030. Some people say 2035, some people say 2040,” Mary Nichols, chairman of the Californian Air Resources Board, told Bloomberg in September.
“It’s awfully hard to predict any of that with precision, but it doesn’t appear to be out of the question.”
Jannarelly Automotive is seeing a shift in customer preferences, albeit it on a small scale.
“We already have one client [in California] who has ordered an electric version, with very specific requirements, so we have a special project for this,” Mr Jannarelly says.
The two-year-old company has, however, been shrewd in its approach to electrifying the Design-1.
“We said we can do that, but let’s do just 10 cars in a special edition,” Mr Jannarelly says.
By doing so the company can get to grips with the process of making an electric version and, by it being a very small run, Jannarelly Automotive will also garner some much-valued publicity in the rarefied world of the enthusiast driver. And, Mr Jannarelly points out, the car is inherently well set up to take battery power.
“It’s a perfect car for electric because it’s light, the manufacturing is quite simple and the chassis has a lot of space to accommodate the electric drivetrain,” says the affable young Frenchman. In addition, given the car is mechanically uncomplicated, it does not have features such as electric windows, mirrors, aircon and seats, for example, “so they don’t drain the battery life”.
Mr Jannarelly adds that the electric version will still be very light, so performance will not be compromised by adding batteries.
That the demand for an electric Design-1 comes primarily from the Golden State is apt given that the cultural history of West Coast America provided much of the inspiration for the car’s styling.
“I think because I am quite young that I look back to the past and maybe idolise that era - because looking back we take the good parts of it. We have the Steve McQueen pictures and movies, James Dean, all this kind of Californian style where people jump into the car and straight away they are going fast,” says Mr Jannarelly.
It is, he says, evocative of “that carefree, open-top motoring the films show”.
Despite the growing international interest the firm and the car is garnering, Jannarelly Automotive came about more or less by accident. A car designer by training, Mr Jannarelly was working for another Dubai-headquartered car maker, W Motors, on its futuristic hypercars such as the Lykan and the Fenyr, when he first began conceptualising the Design-1 - essentially as a personal project - around three years ago.
“I was looking for a car to buy, I wanted something cool and from the past but with a modern engine. When I was working for W Motors people asked what car I drove and they expected it would be something crazy but I didn’t,” he says. “So I had to imagine what car I would like.”
It was around this time, through a shared love for the very unsophisticated UK two-seater sportscar the Caterham, that Mr Jannarelly met the company’s co-founder Frederic Juillot, a bespoke boat-builder who had been working at his boatyard using carbon-fibre and composite parts in Dubai for around nine years.
It was a good match, Mr Jannarelly says, as the car industry and the boat building industry share a lot of technology in the manufacturing process - especially handmade technologies, rather than mass-production – including the use of composite materials and tubular framework.
After the final drawings for the Design-1 were done, the first parts for the prototype were produced about two years ago.
Funding was initially in-house but then the company started looking for investments, of which some worked and some failed, says Mr Jannarelly.
The firm is currently in a new funding round, he adds, to boost output and launch marketing campaigns globally as well as secure logistics chains.
“Now we are making sure we can produce cars on a daily, weekly basis, and making sure we have all the suppliers in line. It took quite a long time to evaluate all the suppliers and do proper outsourcing.”
After the prototype was built, the company decided to test the waters by using the internet to showcase images of the Design-1. It proved to be an instant hit.
“Straight away there was interest and we had clients wanting to order the car just from the pictures,” Mr Jannarelly says, adding that the car industry is very image focused. “So we said, okay, we need to push forward.”
Once all the production is stabilised and funding in place, he says, the company will be able to take the car to tracks around the world and “show more what it’s about, really get more media coverage and marketing”.
Despite the firm’s push to increase production - the near-term plan is to be making 200 to 300 cars per year within five years - Mr Jannarelly is well aware of the fact that exclusivity can exponentially be reduced as output increases.
“We are very far from the line,” he says. “Imagine 200 cars around the world each year - you are still very exclusive.”
To increase its product range and appeal, the company also has a new car in the pipeline built on the same platform. Despite this,Mr Jannarelly says the Design-1 will never be replaced, revamped or relaunched.
“There will be a second model but it will have totally different body and styling, so if you don’t like the Design-1, maybe you will love the Design-2,” he says, adding that the firm envisages eventually producing 800 to 900 vehicles a year with a number of models.
Although there is nothing much currently available in comparison, with its head-turning looks and - having experienced it personally I can concur - exhilarating performance, one might assume that such an automotive work of art would be priced somewhere north of US$300,000 to $400,000.
In fact, the base-model Design-1 starts at a frankly astonishing $65,000, although unsurprisingly the limited edition electric version will come in at around $200,000-$300,000.
The petrol-powered car, of which the company has about 20 orders in production at the moment, is, as Mr Jannarelly points out, “a cheap form of exclusivity”.
“When we show the car at concourse, people think it is way more expensive.” Indeed, he says the Design-1’s UAE distributor, Tomini Classics, has suggested the baseline price may be too low.
But for Mr Jannarelly, who describes his approach to making cars as more haute couture than mass-market, it is really not about drivers paying hundreds of thousands to own a modern-day classic.
“We prefer to have clients that understand what we are trying to achieve - it’s a simple car and we want it to be simple, it’s a mechanical car,” he says, “It’s very much a driver’s car, the whole feeling.”
Updated: January 11, 2018 04:52 PM


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Nigeria’s minister of industry, trade and investment on Monday said the West African nation will sign the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement as soon as President Muhammadu Buhari approves an impact-assessment report he commissioned.
Nigeria is one of 29 countries yet to sign the agreement seeking to boost intra-African trade, stimulate investment and innovation.
In an interview with Bloomberg in Abuja, Nigeria’s commercial capital, Minister Okechukwu Enelamah said that president Buhari has a sense of urgency about the agreement because when he asked an impact assessment study, the team was only given three months to finish everything.
“We do need to conclude our processes and make sure that the train doesn’t leave the station and go far before we join,” the minister said.
The African Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), the result of years of negotiations, is intended to pave the way for the largest free trade area in the world.
Since March 2018, 49 states have signed the agreement for a pan-African free trade area, but at least 22 states must ratify the treaty in order for it to be implemented.


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A Popular Online Store for Household Products That Disappeared Last Year Is Making a Comeback Overstock's online store will reopen in collaboration with Shopify in the coming weeks.
Online home goods retailer Overstock.com is about to reopen — even earlier than expected.
Last June, Overstock.com paid $21.5 million to acquire the brand of Bed Bath & Beyond, which filed for bankruptcy in April 2023, per Yahoo Finance. At the time, Overstock announced it would swap its own domain name for Bedbathandbeyond.com.
But Beyond Inc.'s executive chairman of the board Marcus Lemonis said on a Wednesday earnings call that giving Bed Bath & Beyond an advantage on big-ticket items to the detriment of Overstock was a "fatal mistake."
Beyond Inc. reported Q4 revenue of $384.4 million, a 5% decrease from $404.8 million the year before.
"Turning Overstock.com back on will not only allow Bed Bath & Beyond to expand its existing assortment and hone in on its historical legacy success, but it allows Overstock to do the same," Lemonis said.
Beyond Inc. is up more than 50% year over year.


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It seems everyone’s talking about the metaverse.
The metaverse promises to create an immersive, interactive and shared digital world that brings together mixed reality – augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) – along with 3D holographic avatars, IoT and digital twins. CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg or Satya are already positioning the metaverse as the future of the internet.
Now new research by Quocirca called The Future Immersive Workplace indicates that the metaverse can provide business opportunities for both customers and channel partners.
One of the biggest takeaways of the research is that 68% of UK IT decision makers (ITDMs) believe that VR/AR headsets will be mainstream in the near future. Sixty-one percent are already using at least one application of VR/AR. As such, the channel has an opportunity to capture this market as organisations look to manage the complexity of managing hybrid work collaboration.
“With Meta and Microsoft now firmly committed to the office metaverse, the channel should evaluate technology platforms that will support virtual collaboration to enhance existing collaboration workplace solutions,” Louella Fernandes, research director at Quocirca told Nuzoo.
In terms of customer sales, Louella says Microsoft has already put a stake in the ground for the enterprise metaverse with Mesh for Microsoft Teams, launching in 2022, which combines the mixed reality capabilities of the Mesh platform with Teams, enabling people in different physical locations to join collaborative and shared holographic experiences.
“As the return to the office gets fully underway, building digital twins of offices will enable businesses to create more immersive experiences,” she says. “While it may seem early days for the business metaverse, immersive and interactive technology like VR and AR looks set to change the face of virtual collaboration.”
Louella says with ITDMs expecting to use AR/VR for virtual meetings in the next two years, there is momentum to be harnessed by fast movers in the channel. However, it is not a change that will happen overnight.
“Unlike the instant shift to Zoom/Teams provoked by the pandemic, metaverse collaboration is about creating a richer collaborative experience, rather than urgently digitising the basic meeting process. The intelligent approach is for the channel to go on the journey with customers as they explore the potential of VR/AR tech,” she explains.
“The hardware market will be very dynamic and software will evolve rapidly with new players emerging fast. Picking the winning partner from all the alternatives on offer will be a challenge, but leaving it too late could result in a missed opportunity.
“From the customer perspective, our research has shown that larger organisations are more likely to already be using or evaluating VR/AR tech, and younger ITDMs are more positive about it than older, which should inform sales campaign tactics for channel companies.
“Also worth considering are the security and privacy issues that customers will need to address around how all the data around employees’ place in the metaverse is stored and used. Channel companies should therefore ensure any metaverse offering can provide guidance around this.
Applications in channel businesses
It’s not just customers which can benefit from the metaverse. Channel companies can learn a lot by conducting their own experiments in metaverse applications to build a knowledge base from which to advise customers.
“Our research found that those organisations already using VR/AR tended to be applying it to more practical applications such as remote training and remote service; in the print industry HP and Xerox already have AR-enabled offerings, for example. Managed Service Providers in particular should be exploring the possibilities for efficiency and cost-reduction that remote servicing can deliver,” says Louella.
“Using VR for customer-facing activities such as virtual customer visits and enhancing the customer experience is less common, but it is under evaluation by a significant proportion of those we spoke to. Channel businesses should be among those exploring the potential of metaverse and its enabling technologies to engage with customers.
“Ultimately, the shape of the metaverse and its applications are still emerging and consequently rushing too far in a particular direction feels intrinsically high risk, but it should certainly be on the radar of channel companies that are pivoting their offerings to support the hybrid workplace.”
Daren Bach (FCIM)
Chief Creative & Digital Officer
The Channel Agency: Purechannels
Helping Channel Marketing teams unleash indirect revenue through creativity, digital and storySelling.